knife recommnedation

Hi Carl

Here's another vote of support for Bark River knives. I've been around the block a time or two, and Bark River makes some of the best knives around. Easily as good as any working custom I've seen. (Artsy knives need not apply!)

You're asking about a knife for camping and hunting.

The Fox River is a fine one, as are any of the others.

Personally, I would recommend the Canadian Special. This is a newish design, very loosely based on the old Russell/Grohman, but much better thought out and executed. Simply put, it's the best field knife I've ever owned.

If you're anywhere near SoCal, you're welcome to stop by and check out any of the Bark River knives I have.
 
Thanks Grampa for the kind offer. Unfortunately, I am in southern Tx, as opposed to So. CA. :)

I will certainly check out the Canadian Special.

I have heard DLT recommended and I have been to KnivesShipFree.com. Do you have any experience with either company? Recommendations or reservations?

Thanks--
Carl
 
I would also suggest you check out Ranger knives. They are great knives, at a great price.

As far as your inquiries about those 2 companies; you should as the Good, Bad & Ugly section of BF.
 
Carl--

Any of the knives you looked at would be excellent for your application. IMO the Bravo-1 is probably the bottom of that group for your uses. It is an excellent Bushcraft knife or camping, but for hunting, I like a knife with a little more belly (like mine!! :) )

Grampa speaks wisdom. The Canadian Special ( https://shop.knivesshipfree.com/categoryNavigationDocument.hg?categoryId=73 ) is a perfect knife for your application.

The Fox River would also be right near the top of my list.
 
Oh well, Texas is a fine place - I used to live near Dallas, once upon a time!

KnivesShipFree is owned and run by this guy named Derrick, who, while being slightly insane, is a real nice guy! Oh, hi there, Derrick! (Derrick just posted above right above!) :D

Derrick is a great guy, he's in Oklahoma, and he's gotten more than his fair share of my Barkie bucks! If you buy a knife from him, it'll be on your doorstep amazingly fast!

DLT is owned and run by Larry, and is another great guy to buy knives from. One of the cool things about Larry and Derrick (and a couple of other Barkie dealers) is that they keep intouch with each other, and work together well to get you just what you want. Seriously good people!
 
Bark River is about as good as I need in a fixed blade. I don't see spending more than what BRKT charges since they make a near custom quality blade. The handles are the main downside. The sheaths are nothing special either.


I have owned about half a dozen including, Northstar, Snowy River, Woodland, Highland, Blackwater boot knife and one or two others that I can't recall. The best one was the Highland IMHO. You need to handle them before you buy because many of the Bark River knives are made for elves with small hands for some reason. Take the Blackwater boot knife for example, I bought than online and I was pissed when I got it. It was about 75% of the size of a real knife.
 
i don't even know what a barkie is but from reading the input it must be nice. i personally like benchmade knives i have a griptillian and it has 154cm steel used for the blades in turbines, i put an edge less than 17 degrees on it and it sharpens back up pretty easily,shaves like a dream. the axis lock is strong, its synthetic handle is zytel which is what the stock of m16 rifles is made of. and best of all you can use it for hunting or everyday use because it is a folder and you don't look like the son of sam if you carry it.
 
I have several Bark Rivers, and have found their fit and finish to be slightly above lower end manufacturers, but nowhere in the league, of say, Dozier knives. The fit and finish of a Dozier is nearly perfect, and the thin high hollow grinds of his D2 steel will be much better suited for the tasks that you describe.

Others may disagree, that's fine. But check out Dozier before you get too far.
 
I own 7 or 8 Randall Made Knives and just recieved my first Bark River Gameskeeper knife this past wednesday and I must say the Brkt knife quality is every bit as good if not better then my Randall's (waiting for lightning to strike me down) plus I've been told Mike Stewert of BRKT STANDS BEHIND HIS PRODUCT 100%
 
I would buy a Barkie, they've got lots of different models, and Mike Stewart stands behind each and every one he makes.

I own a Highland Special, Sandstorm and Wolf River, with a Woodland Special on the way from a trade.
 
I would say the BRKT knives are WAY above any other production knife I have seen and on par with the custom knives I have handled (though I have not handled a Dozier knife)

In response to the smallness of the knives....Be sure to read the specs--they are available on every knife and are accurate. When we first started handling BRKT knives, I was suprised by the smallness of the knives, but the more I have used them, I appreciate their design--including their size.

The BRKT knives I have and use do the jobs of much larger knives, but without the weight and with a lot more precision.

BRKT also does custom knives that are really beautiful as well as being users. Check them out if you decide on a custom.
 
I have a BR Mini Canadian that, in a hip pocket sheath, has become my daily carry. If you do it right, convex edges are super easy to maintain (stropping motion on 1000 or 2000 grit paper with a soft backing, like a mouse pad). I am terrible at sharpening knives, but I restored the edge on my Mini Canadian quickly and easily after chewing it up (banged it on a stone hearth).

I want to get a 4" knife for camping, since the Mini Canadian is a little small for some tasks outdoors. I have considered several, but I keep coming back to Bark River. I think I'm going to get a Highland Special.
 
BRKT makes some great knives that can't be beat for the $$$. It's not Dozier, but can perform like one. If you've ever used a Dozier you know that's saying alot.....

Only thing I can think of to watch for in a Barky is their handles. My Northstat was kinda small and I don't have large hands. All my Doziers fit like Bob used my hand as a model.
 
Hey, Stretch (and other Highland Special owners):

I don't mean to hijack this thread (okay, I do), but how would you rate the Highland Special as a general woods/camping knife with no hunting involved. Are there other Bark Rivers that would serve better? I have been looking for something a bit larger than my trusty Mini Canadian, but smaller than my way-overkill Becker Crewman.

I know that a cheapo Mora would do everything I want, and I don't "need" a Barkie, but high quality tools are beautiful and a pleasure to use that goes beyond mere functionality.
 
Carl1947: Have you decided on a knife? Or are you still choosing? There are so many great knives out there, and so little money!! Please DO let us know what you decide on.
 
I really like Bark River, however I have found that, like most companies, they have pros and cons.
PROS - nice designs, great handle selections, very sharp, easy to maintain and rather stout (even the small blades), great service.
CONS - hand finished means that small blemishes are possible, they make many small blades and pictures of the knives alone do not really do great job showing size, sheaths are not great, hard to "hold before you buy" due to mostly internet purchasing.
 
Foilist said:
Hey, Stretch (and other Highland Special owners):

I don't mean to hijack this thread (okay, I do), but how would you rate the Highland Special as a general woods/camping knife with no hunting involved. Are there other Bark Rivers that would serve better? I have been looking for something a bit larger than my trusty Mini Canadian, but smaller than my way-overkill Becker Crewman..........QUOTE]

Hey Foilist (the MAN who sold to me my first Bark River),

I don;t have a Highland "yet", it's on the next-to-buy list.... and it isn;t the Highland Special, just the Highland. So....I can;t speak for it. I can say, however, that I liked the Mini-Skinner so much that I ordered another, this time in black canvas Micarta. Now the Highland and the mini-Skinner are comparable in size, with the Highland having a slightly longer blade length and A-2 steel as opposed to 12C27.

My next-to-buy list is: Highland, one more mini-Skinner (I LOVE this knife), and a Fox River. Also, a 2007 Custom Small Hunter in red/black linen Micarta unless someone buys it first (see it here at position #51: http://www.dlttradingcompany.com/index.php?cPath=24_325). When I order the Highland, I think I'm going to get the Impala Horn handles (or the Carbon Fiber). The Impala Horn looks textured and that's one thing the BRKT knives lack is some roughness to the scales.

I have medium-large hands and I too had to adjust to the size of the BRKT handles. Now, though, they're perfect. I don;t have a single problem holding my mini-Skinners or my daughter's mini-Canadian (thank you very much). About a week ago, I received a green-tan elder burl Bravo-1, and the handles on that knife are huge (as is the thickness of the steel). I don;t envision it will shine in a skinning situation, but as a survival or camp knife, it's going to be near perfect.

I have no problem with BRKT's quality, but I could complain about the edge grinds a little. On my last mini-Skinner and the Bravo-1, whoever sharpened the knives got sloppy near the blade tips. I could easily have sent them back and I'm sure BRKT would've made it perfect, but once you get a Barkie, there ain't no "sending it back" going through your head. I just got out the mousepad and wet/dry, and fixed them.

I have made several leather sheaths now to replace BRKT's simple, but functional, sheaths. I even made one to replace the Kydex that came with the Bravo-1. If I had a decent camera, I'd post my sheaths for some criticism and helpful hints.
Click to expand...
 
Thanks for your impressions, Stretch. I'm looking for a 4" bladed knife, but I have not considered a skinner style since I won't likely be skinning anything and I'm afraid that blade shape might detract from its general utility. I will take a look at the Mini Skinner though since you speak so highly of it. I also didn't realize that the Highland and Highland Special were different.

The Bravo looks neat, but is much bigger than I want (I have a Becker for when I want to use a big knife, which isn't that often). The Kephart and Mini Kephart look good to me too. The blade shape reminds me of a SAK blade, which is all about general utility. These are rather more than I want to pay, however. I really should stay south of 100 bucks.

I think I'll be fighting a losing battle against having a drawer full of Barkies.

By the way, how is that Mini Canadian working out for your daughter?
 
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